A Message from the house of representatives by m2 Ogden and m' Leonard to his Excellency to know when he would please to be waited on by the house, his Excellency Appointed this Afternoon the House Attended And the Speaker presented the following Address

To his Excellency William Burnet Esq' captain Generall and Governour in chief of his majesties province of New Jersey New York and territories Depending thereon in America And vice Admiral of the same &°

The Humble Address of the Representatives of the Province of New Jersey

May it please your Excellency

Since the true Intrest of the Governour and the Governed are undoubtedly inseparable it would have been reasonable to Suppose the punctual payments this year made by those who borrowed money out of the Severall Loan offices, was as Satisfactory to your Excellency as it has been to us, but this you have been pleased to put beyond dispute in kindly congratulating of us on that performance, for which we return you our harty thanks And assure you that nothing on our part shall be wanting that may contribute to strengthen our former engagements

The foundation on Which the bills of Credit were raised the great care used for the Sinking of them and the Exact complyance therewith hitherto gave us Just Grounds to hope would have induced it's currency in New york as well as Philadelphia and other Neighbouring provinces, but wee unhappily find it otherways And a considerable discount insisted on between their money and Ours; whence this had it's rise and what Expedients may be fallen upon to prevent it must be subject of future enquiry & deliberation in which wee promise our Selves your Excellencys ready concurrence from the declaration you have generously made of comeing into all Just and reasonable measures for Quieting the minds

and securing the property of the inhabitants that industry may be encouraged and trade flourish

Our behaviour for the time to come will best demonstrate that resentments and party disputee are laid Aside & wee shall not be So unjust to Attribute the actions of particular men to A whole province nor shall our Zeal for Our country occasion us to forget that wee and the Neighbouring provinces are the children of one comon parent but we hope your Excellency will be of our opinion that there is no inconsistency between cultivating a Good correspondence with Our Neighbours and takeing all possible care to prevent unjustice to Our selves The service of Our king and country is the End of our constitution and the busyness of Every convention, And as wee are under the highest Obligation to discharge this trust it shall be our particular care this Session to demonstrate the just Sence we have of it as well for makeing honourable provision for supporting of Government And the officers thereof as by preferring such bills wch we conceive Necessary for the benefit of those Wee represent

In pursuit of which purposes besides the assurance your Excellency is pleased to give us of contributing your utmost endeavour, wee have all the inducements that proceed from the mild and Gentle Reign of A Gracious prince whose conduct at home and Abroad renders him remarkably conspicuous, may his reign be long and happy And continue the "refuge of the distressed and terrour of Oppressors

By Order of the house

JOHN JOHNSTON Speaker

Severall of the house being of the people called Quakers agree with the matter & substance but Make some Exceptions to the Stile

At a Council held att Perth Amboy June y° 2° 1725

On Petitions made by the treasurers of this province that A comittee be Appointed to Examine their Accounts Ordered that m' Hamilton m' Parker and m' Wills be A comittee for that purpose and that they have power to Send for persons and papers and that they may Join a Comittee of the assembly appointed for the same End

His Excellency comunicated his 30th Instruction to this board which is as follows

Whereas it is not reasonable that Any of Our Collonies or plantations should by virtue of Any Exemptions or other priviledges whatsoever be allowed to seek and pursue their own particular advantages, by methods tending to undermine and prejudice our other collonies and plantations which have Equall title to Our Royal care And whereas the trade and wellfare of Our province of New York wo'ld be greatly prejudiced If not entirely ruined by allowing to the inhabitants of Nova Cesarea or New Jersey any Exemptions from those charges which the inhabitants of New York are lyable to

You are therefore in Settling a publick Revenue as before directed to propose to the Assembly that such customs, dutys, and other impositions be laid upon All comodities imported or Exported in or out of our Said province of Nova cesarea or New Jersey as may Equall the charge now laid or that shall hereafter be laid upon the like comodities in our province of New York

At a Councill held att Perth Amboy June 15th 1725

Mrs Jennet Gordon Widdow of thomas Gordon late Treasurer of this province Attending pursuant to An Order of the first Instant, was called in and Delivered her reasons in writeing against passing the Bill Intituled An Act to oblidge the Estate of thomas Gordon Esq' Some time Since treasurer & Receiver Generall of this province, as also his Securities to Answer And pay all such Sum or Sums of money as were due from the Said Gordon to the publick at the time of his decease wch reasons being read

Ordered that John Hamilton John Wills John reading James Smith and James Alexander be A Comittee to consider of the s reasons and that the comittee of the house of representatives be served with A copy of the same forthwith and that the said comittee of this board, do hear the Alligations for and against the said bill and make report of their opinion on the whole to this board

Ordered that the comittee of this board Appointed on the 2d Instant to Examine the Treasurers Accounts have also power to join A comittee of the Assembly to Account the Old bills of credit of this province and to Sink and distroy them and to take an Account of all the cancelled bills brought in by the comissioners of the loan offices And Also an Account of all the intrest moneys paid in by them to the treasurers in Order to be cancelled

The Petition of Will and Bella Negros being Read Setting forth that one Robert Burnet deceased did by A Codicill to his last will and testament in the year 1714 did Appoint that they should be free from their Slavery after ten years And

that notwithstanding thereof they had been sold Absolutely by Peter Burnet to Nathan Allen and by Nathan Allen to David Lyell And that the Said ten years being Expired the said David Lyell refused to let them be free And praying relief And the said Nathan Allen and David Lyell together with the said Negros Will and Bella Attending without were called in, in Order to be heard on the said Petition And upon a full hearing of all partys and witnesses upon Oath to their Alligations it appears to this board that the said Robert Burnet purchased the Said Negros for A considerable sum of money only about one year before his decease that the said Peter Burnet Joined along with the said Robert in A bond for the payment of the prize of them, that the moneys were paid by the said Peter for them at least that all the receipts for the Same were in his name that the bill of Sale of them was to the said Robert Burnet and Peter Burnet Jointly that the giveing of their freedom was not for their Services to the Said Robert att the time of makeing of the will but in hopes that they wold have faithfully Served the ten years which by the will was the terms of their freedom

It appears also to this board that an Act of the Generall assembly of this province passed into A law in the year 1713 whereby it is Enacted that whereas it is found by Experience that free negros are an Idle and Slothfull people & prove very often A charge to the place where they are it was therefore Enacted that Any master or mistress manumitting and setting at liberty Any Negro or mulatto slave shall enter into sufficient Security to her majesty her heirs and successors which [with] two sureties in the Sum of two hundred pounds to pay yearly and every year to Such Negro or muletto Slave during their lives the Sum of twenty pounds And if such Negro or muletto Slave Shall be made free by the Will & testament of any person deceased, that then the Executor Of such person shall enter into Security as above imediatly upon proveing the said will and testament which if refused to be given the said manumission to be void and of none Effect

It appears also to this board that no Such Security has been